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So do I want a garmin system of not. I would like to just run 1 system, I jusst don't know if I trust the gps stuff. I suppose it would be great. I just don't know about how it works in dense cover, and the collar batt life ain't that long. I have a wiildlife 2000 box now and I at least can trust it. Lost my black and tan for 7 days cause I couldn't get in where she went. I never lost a signal on her though. Sometimes i have to get to work and the dogs have to wait for me to come back. I don't like it much but the wife and 4 kids need a place to live more then the dogs. Anyway anyone using this system like it. How it work in the brush. I know they say in the densest cover on their add. I kinda believe it when I see it. So just looking for some feedback I guess. thanks

this is a topic that there is going alot of discussion about as there already has. I myself had one and traded it for a old as hell quicktrax box and i couldnt be happier with my chioce to get rid of it. I was losing signal at 80,100,200 yds and never got any further range than 900 yds, always being able to hear what the dogs were doing when i had signal. there are people on here that say its the best thing they have had so maybe i got a fluke idk, but the other guy around here with one has the same exact problem with his and even has all the fancy antenas for it. in our country there are alot of roadless areas and we sometimes lose dogs for awhile so i ran telemetry collars with the gps just incase one got out of hearing range and had to use old reliable (the beep beep crap) to find the dog. personally i wont ever buy another one and just stick with the old proven stuff! just one mans opinion. and for the guys that its workin for, thats great because if mine would have worked it would have ben a great unit.

There is a couple of very large threads on this already. I have posted a ton on those threads. As all of the units I have gotten work great. Miles of range, and the GPS itself will get a signal inside my house even. Once in awhile will pull one from the basement.

I don't know that I recomend Hunting with only the astro(although I do it often), But I hunt the same area's your from and they are pretty damn nice.

My system Lost range (50 yards), Never around a VHF radio that I know about and I had to send it in for repair. I don't know what or why that happened. So they are not a durable as the Beep collars, but it's definately worth it when it's working.

Buddy

Buddyw wrote:

My system Lost range (50 yards), Never around a VHF radio that I know about and I had to send it in for repair. I don't know what or why that happened. So they are not a durable as the Beep collars, but it's definately worth it when it's working.

Buddy

Buddy, I recall you saying that before. Never around one that you know about is most likely accurate. An EMS vehicle, County truck, Murs operator could do it. Leave it on in the Walmart parking lot and you could have a problem. As they use the Murs band. There are also people out there that use the Murs band. Not far from me they even have a small tower with a repeater for it!! A multitude of ways it could happen.

In fact I have had county trucks come over my Tracker Maxima unit many times. On one occasion my buddy swore he heard russian weight lifters on his wildlife box.

One of these days I am going to get my hands on a 2?? something box that is works, and real cheap. Just for kicks then am going to go over to a ham buddies place and watch him smoke it transmitting on the same channels it receives. Just to proveit can be done. I have smoked the cb radios of other in the past using high power next to them. Cost me $1500 once to fix a mcd's system that I blew with 1000 watts of cb power. I have damaged a Tracker maxima using marine channels. Same thing as Garmin range got lower and lower. Tracker asked what I did to it. Had top play dumb on that one

Back in the hayday of the CB. When there were so many running big amps. There were many folks that blew or damaged the devices of neighbors. Cordless phones, Tv's, Radio's. All because of the bleed over the high power produced. This is actually how many got busted. As the neighbors complained, and the FCC showed up. I blew up the speakers of a brand spanking new big screen tv the first night I owned it. Man was I ticked.

I know this was some rambling, but wanted to make the point of how damage could happen to anything out there.

Steve White rambling?? I would never beleive it LOL!!

Will M. wrote:Steve White rambling?? I would never beleive it LOL!!

I know hey!!!

I keep seeing posts about you all burning up 220s and I don't understand why.
I have both 220 and FM radio.External antennas about 4 feet apart.
Have been using both for a year and still no problem.!!

Could be the power your using, the channel your using, and the extra distance your antennas are apart.

Too much money for a part time system, unless you have money to burn. Save the headach and stay with the proven systems until they figure out why it works great for one person and the other persons dosn't work. My hounds are too valuable for the Astro.

Rick- Not sure what you mean there. I hunt full time, and all my dogs wear is the garmin, and maybe an e collar. Since I don't get paid if I don't produce using the Garmin puts my people where they need to be! Perhaps you were meaning part time as in being a weekend warrior?

Also my dogs are very valuable to me. Not only do they help provide a good share of my income. They are my best friends. Any given night there are at least 3 sleeping in the house and in bed with someone. Really though, they are all my daughters dogs.

I will never use a beep beep box again. As my dogs are far to valuable to my family, and livelyhood!!

Pilot Error is the problem in most cases Steve!

I am very frustrated with people either not reading, believing, or heeding some good info and/or advise!

My Garmin is like Am. Express....I ain't leaving home without it!

CJC

IM FROM OK NOT A LOT OF HILLS HERE, BUT I LOVE IT WOULDENT HAVE ANOTHER OLD STYLE . I HAVE A WILDLIFE&ATS THAT SOMEONE CAN HAVE.

All of this comes down to where you live when you think about it. Do you live in steep rugged country or just some mountains but they are generally rolling and not too steep? If you live in the cascades or the rockies you are probably going to have problems when you get into the steep stuff and they arent going to work for you. I have a couple buddies who love them and another that doesnt like it so much. I may get one to try it myself and see how it goes but would NEVER and i mean NEVER turn one of my dogs loose without a beep beep collar, thats for sure! Cant trust something where the battery is going to run out in 24hrs or less.

Love my GPS wouldn't hunt with out it. Hardly ever have to use my tracker.